Nail-assorting mechanism.



. .Patented-Aug. I9, |902. B. F.1MAY0 & A. n. ELLIOTT.

NAIL Assonrme MEcHAmsM.

(Application med Apr.- 2e, i902.)

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B. F. MAYO a A. n. ELLIOTT.-

NAIL ASSORTINIG MECHANISM.

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No." 7o7,|3s. 1 Paten/mug. I9, |902'.

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NAIL ASSURTING MECHANISM.

(Application med Apr. 2s, 1902.)

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, l 4Familien Aug..l 19;, 1902. B; F. MAYu a A. in. ELLIOTT No. 707l38.

NAIL ASSURTING 'MEGIlANISIL- (Applicationled Apr. sa, 1902.)

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No, 707,138l

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Patented'Aug. I9, `[902.

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No. 7n7,|3a. Patented Aug'. 19,1902.

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NAIL AS'SDBTING HIECHANISM. (Applicmzion led Apr. 28, 1902.)

(No Model.)

yg. 5ime No. 70u38. Y v y Patented Aug..|9, |902. B. F. MAYo a. A. n. ELLmTT.

NAIL ASSURTING MEGHANISM.

application man Apr. sa, 1902.)

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(No Model.)

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N0. 707,!38. Patented Aug. 19, '1902.

' vB.. F. MAYO & A. D.VELL|TT.

-NAIL ASSDBTING MEC'HANISM.

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(Application led Apr. 28., 1902.)

(No Model.)

'15 ceived at the upper end of an inclined race- UNITED; STAT-Esi 'Y PATENT EEICE.

BENJAMIN E. MAYO, OE SALEM, AND ALVIN. D. ELLIOTT, OE WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOES kTo UNITEDSIIOE MACHINERY COMPANY,

OE' PATERSON,1 NEWjJEESE EORATION OE NEvv `JERSEY., y

Y, AND,l BOSTON,v MASSACHUSETTS, 4'A 'COE- SPECIFICATION-forming part of ALetters Patent No. 707,138,1dated August 19, 1902.

Applioationiiledhpril 28, 1902.

T all whom t may concern'.-

, Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. MAYO, residing at Salem, county of Essex, and ALVIN D. ELLIOTT, residing atWinchesten county 5 of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented an Improvement/,in Nail-Assorting Mechanism, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciv Io cation, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to mechanisms for assorting nails, and particularly to that typeof such mechanisms in which nailsl are re- Way with their heads and points arranged indiscriminately, from which raceway the nails are delivered all pointing the same Way. These mechanisms have generally been used' 2o in connection with 'machines for attaching heels; but-...the application of the present invention is of course not limited to such use. Inmechanisms ofthis type it has been customary to have spaces between the grooves which receive and convey the nails in order that nails improperly lodged on the raceway might be discharged through those spaces before reaching the device at the end of the raceway for deliveringthe nails. It has also 3o been customary to use a returning-table to receive the nails so discharged from' the raceway.

In nail-assortin g mechanisms in general use it has been the practice to incline the racewayI to facilitate t-he travel ofnails on therace- Way toward the delivering jmechanisms. It has` also been the practiceto inclinelthe-re-H turning-table in the opposite direction'inorf, der that the nails rejected by theraceway 4o may be carried back by the returning-table to the source of supply. It is also customary in thesemechanisms to reciprocate both the raceway and the returning-table, the jolting ,given the nails bythese reciprocations causing a forward movement of, the nails on theA raceway and the returning-table. It has been attempted to reciprocate the entire nail-asserting mechanism asa ,yvholeg but this resulted in veryinjurious jarring of both the Y Other features of invention will be herein- .after more fully described, yand claimed at the ilend of this specification. Figure l of thedrawings, in side elevation,

Serial No; 104,979.v (No model.)

.assorting mechanism Aand theheeling-ma- 5o chine. An important feature of the present :invention consists in mechanism for reciprocating the raceway and the returning-table in opposite directions, preferably at the same time. By this arrangement the momentum 55 .of the raceway is offset by the momentum of vinra magazine having a series of shelves to receive `and lift thenailsin bulk and deliver themasdesired.v This magazine is arranged `to scatter the `nails upona bridge, which is shown ascarried by the raceway and ascomprising a series of` projections with spaces betyveenthem, saidbridgespanning the :upper end ofthe raceway. The raceway presents la series of grooves side by side and so located 'fwithrelatio'n to the spaces between the pro- 7o .jections of the bridge that nails scattered .upon-the bridge may dropthrough the spaces therein and' enter thegrooves in the raceway. The projections ofthe bridge extend into the magazine for a short distance to receive a portion of the nails from the magazine, While the upper end of the raceway is extended fartherinto the magazine rthan the bridge, so that a portion of the nails may drop directly thereon'. 8o

shows our invention in one of thebest forms A 85` n owknown to us.; Fig. 2 is a section Show-` ginggone of therollers for supporting and roftating the magazine.

Fig.13 is'a plan r`view with the magazine and raceway omitted and the tube-holding bar shown open -in d0tted 9o lines. Figli is a frontend elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sec- `tion on the line a7, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows a leftdf hand side elevation of the machine With the magazine tipped over to be filled. Fig.-7 is 95 a rear end elevation. Fig. 8 is an enlarged the lower end of the racev'vay, the parts shown occupying different positions. Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional details of the raceway and discharging device on the dotted line y, Fig. 8, showing how the nails are controlled and discharged, the nail-stops being shown in section. Fig. 13 is a detail showing part of the rear bar of the tube-holder. Fig. 14 is a detail showing a part of the nail-discharging means detached. Fig. 15 is a detail showing parts of the intermediate portion of the raceway. Fig. 16 is a cross-section of the raceway near its upper end looking into the magazine. Figs. 17 and 18 show two views of like parts, representing a modified form of naildischarging means, the parts in said views occupying different positions. Figs. 19 and 2O are sectional details of Figs. 17 and 18. Fig. 21 is a detail of parts ofthe devices shown in Fig. 19. Fig. 22 is a sectional detail in the line w', Fig. 3. Fig. 23 is a side elevation of some of the parts shown in Fig. 22. Fig. 24: is a longitudinal section of the shaft in the line x2, Fig. 3. Fig. 25 is a face view of the cam for operating the nail-discharging means. Figs. 26 and 27 show the plates forming part of the clutch to be described, said plates being shown in face and edge view. Fig. 28 is a view to the left of the line x4, Fig. 22, showing the disk with the clutch-plates removed and the tenon in section. Fig. 29 is a face View of the disk c7, (see Fig'. 24,) carried by stem o0, and the rod or device coacting therewith for controlling the times of starting and stopping the shaft BS, which controls the delivery of nails to the chutes.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a portion of the frame of a heel-nailing machine, which preferably is of the class shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 694,656.

The portion A of the frame sustains the frame A' of the nail-assorting mechanism and is secured in place by screws A2. The frame A sustains suitable bearings for a main shaft A3, provided with a fast pulley A4, secured to said shaft by a pin A5, entering a sleeve A0, extending from one side of said pulley, said sleeve receiving upon it the loose pulley A7, the loose pulley being retained on said sleeve by a collar A2. The shaft A3 has secured to it by pins A9 a worm A10,and the end of said shaft has a tenon B, near which is fixed to said shaft a collar B'. The shaft A2 is connected by a clutch to the shaft B5. The clutch comprises a disk B2, provided with a stem B3, which is received in the socketed end of the shaft B5. Said disk is also connected to said shaft by a pin B0, arranged to slide in a recess in a collar BSX, secured to the shaft A spring B4 acts to normally press the disk B2 toward the collar B on the shaft A3. The

disk B2 is provided on the side adjacent the collar B with a flange a4, adapted to receive Within it the friction-disks ct a of the clutch. The disks a have `circular apertures at their centers to permitthe tenon B to rotate freely therein, and they have peripheral tangs a2, which are adapted to be received within recesses or notches a3 in the flange t4 of the disk B2, and thereby cause said disk B2 and the shaft B5 to rotate when said disks are rotated. The disks a' have rectangular central apertures fitting the tenon B and adapting said disks to be rotated by and with the continuously-rotating main shaft A2. The disks are applied alternately to the tenon B and, together with said tenon, are received Within the flange af* of the disk B2, all as shown in Fig. 22. The collar B' acts against one side of the accumulated disks, while the disk B2 is adapted to be pressed by the spring B4 against the other side to hold the disks in frictional contact and cause said disks and the shafts As and B5 with which they are connected to be rotated together. The shaft B5 actuates the means for reciprocating the raceway. The raceway comprises a lower section constituted by a plurality of bars 190, secured together by cross-bars b5 and grooved on their upper surfaces, an upper section DS, and an intermediate connecting-section D10. The upper and intermediate sections are shown as integral. The upper section is conveniently formed as a plate orcastinggrooved, as at h, said section having pins cl2 to cause the nails which drop thereon to arrange themselves longitudinally thereof and to 4direct the nails in their movement along the said raceway-section. section D8 the wall between the grooves l) is cut away to form channels Z910, through which will fall all the nails which are not properly arranged in the groove b. The intermediate section D10 overlaps the upper ends of the bars b2 of the lower section. The section D10 presents abrupt shoulders bX and is provided with grooves or channels D0. These grooves or channels are cut into the section so as to extend slightly under or back of the shoulder bx, as shown in Fig. 1l, whereby a nail may fall from the position shown in full lines in said Fig. 11 to the position shown in dotted lines without danger of its head striking the bottom of the groove D0 before it has fallen sufficiently far to insure that it shall be reversed. The grooves b D0 b2 present a continuous pathway for those nails which have become properly arranged in the upper raceway-section. The raceway-sections are attached to the supporting-frame C7 by fastening means, shown as screws D0 entering the cross-bars b5 of the lower section, and by bolts D0, D7, and b?, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

Whenever the endmost series of nails at the lower end of the raceway is to be discharged, the reciprocating movement of the raceway is stopped temporarily by stopping the rotation of the shaft B5. The mechanism for stopping the rotation of the shaft B5 is as follows: The frame is provided with a suitable pivot-stud a5, supporting a lever n.0, having a pin ai, on which is mounted loosely a block a8, one edge of the block contacting with the face rtf of the Near the lower end of the" IIO \ disk B0, and thisle'ver is provided at its opearsor legs C of the frame C7.

posite end, asl herein shown, with a roller d10, which is acted upon by a cam B1, carried by ashaft B0, the cam being of such shape as to move the lever a0 and cause it to move the disk Bzagainst the action of the spring B4 and temporarily disengage the shaftB5from the main shaft A5.l

, The shaft B5 is provided with cranks or eccentrics B10, (see Fig. 5,) which are embraced by links C, said links at their'opposite ends embracing rods C', (see Figs. l and 5,) carried by arms C2, connected with the rock-shaft C0, having upwardly-extended arms C4, which embrace shafts or studs C5, extended beyond The rear end of said frame C1 is herein represented as sustained by the shafts or-studs C5, resting in notches of the arms C4, the'lower end of said frame having, as herein shown, suitable stands, as C0, provided with studs C0, which enter notches in upright arms C10,pivoted upon a shaft D, sustainedin an extension of the frame Af. The shaft D has depending arms D', which are jointed in suitable manner by a link D2 with the rods C', before described, so that in the rotation of the shaft B5, having the cranks or eccentrics B10, the

arms C4 and C11 are vibrated in unison, thus `cross-bars have secured to them a nail-returningtable D4, which is therefore reciprocated simultaneously with the raceway, but in an opposite direction. The table D4 is inclined downwardly and backwardly from at or near the delivery end of the raceway, so

' vthat nailsescaping through spaces Z210 or from ytable and be returned to the' magazine D5, to

the raceway-grooves and dropping through the spaces b between the bars b5 of the lower raceway-section may fall on said returningraceways have lbeen employed.

Upon the toppedge of the frame C7 we have adj ustably connected by a screw E a reversing-plate E' to receive and support the points of-nails which come down-pointfirst.y It has a series of` grooves 3 at its upper edge (see Figs. 8 and 12) and a series of slots 2, which are inline with the vgrooves h.' lThe bottoms thespace's b betweenthe raceway-bars b5 `onto the nail-returning table D1.

Thereversing-plate E is adjustable toward'and from the shoulders bx referred to to'provide for nails varying in length, and in order that the distance may be gaged properly for each particularlength of nail we 'haveprovided the frame O7 with a gage E2, slotted, as represented in Figs. 1 and 8, to receive theshank of an vadjusting clamp-screw E5, the said plate having a series of holes in whichmay; be placeda @otter-pin E4, thereby 'to locate the plate E', Figs. 1 and 8, inexactly the proper position to enable the machine to operate with anail of any desired length. y 'l The stands C8 at opposite sides of the. lowe end of the lframe C7 receive a rock-'shaft E5, (see Figs. 1, 8,' and 9,) providedat one e'nd with an-arm E5, secured thereto,"and"this rock-shaft is providedy (seeFigs. ll'and 12) with a series of studs'5,which enter notches 6, cut inside thebosses E1 of a series ofnailstops E8, one for eachbar b5. Said stops are normally upheld, as in Fig.' 111, by the contact of the pins 5 with one end of eachslot 6; but just as al series of nails which have come onto the discharging'device b4 are to be discharged therefrom the rock-shafty E5r` is turned from its normal position, Figs.'11jand 9, letting the stops drop by gravityand meet the series of nails 7 next backfromthese'ries IOO of nails 8, resting on the dischargingfdevice and to be discharged, said' stops 'positively detaining the seriesof nails 7 and allback of them on the raceway while the series Stis being delivered. The' dischargingdevice@4 is herein represented as a rod`(see Figs. 11,

12, and 14) cut away;l as at"9,"atfsuitab1e i'ntervals to leave uprights 'or projections 10,

which are grooved to receive and sustain nails leaving theends of the raceway-bars b3,

the leading ends of said nails coming onto IZO eled, and the stops are shown as slightly higher -than the `projection containing the grooves `10, 'so that: anysliver or imperfect nails lodged witha perfect nail ina groove 10 will meetgone end of 'a stop and will be arrested thereby andl prevented from entering As best shown in'Figsfll'and j12,' weiha've located below the' discharging device'l b4: a chute F,havin"g a series' of tapering passages into yWhichare delivered thenails discharged from the discharging device. For the best results this chute is composed of a stationary bar F' and a movable bar F2, each of said bars having made in it at suitable intervals slots, as F3 and F4, connecting with the grooves of the raceway.

In the construction shown in Figs. l to 16 the movable bar F2 (see Fig. 3) is pivoted upon a stud F5, extended through ears FG of the stationary bar F', which at or near its opposite end has pivotally mounted upon it at F7 a locking device, represented as a piece of metal threaded at one end and provided with a thumb-nut F8, the end of the movable bar F2 being notched at F2 (see Fig. 4) to enable the locking device to be swung about its pivot F7 after relaxing the thumb-nut F8 in order that the movable part F2 of the bar may be swung aside, as shown in Fig. 3.

The advantage of making the chute F in two parts is that it can be readily opened to remove any obstructions that may have accumulated. Another advantage is that the two parts of the chute form a convenient means for clamping in place the short tubes F10, which constitute the upper end portions of the tubes for conducting the nails to the heel-attaching machine. The upper ends of these tubes F10 (see Figs. 11 and 12) are represented as flanged, and the stationary part Ff is grooved at c to receive said flange, a suitable notch in the movable part F2 at the lower end of the groove F4 receiving a part ol' said flange.

When the number of nails required in a series is less than the number of racewaygrooves, the feed of nails from the extra grooves may be stoppedby inserting stoppins Z951 in holes Z332 in such grooves or by any other suitable means.

The discharging device b" (see Fig. 14) has xed upon one end of it (see Figs. 4 and 8) a collar G, having secured to it by a set-screw G' a stop G2. The stop G2 is normally held pressed against a shoulder G3 by means of a spring G2, (see Fig. 6,) connected at one end to one of said stands and at its other end with a stud G5, carried by an arm G5, suitably se- 4cured to the opposite end of the discharging device h4 outside the frame C7. The shoulder G3 forms part of the frame and is extended forward from the stand C8. The spring and stop determine the normal position of the discharging device and maintain it as represented in Fig. 11.

To operate the discharging device to discharge the nails deposited upon it, We have in this instance of our invention provided the following means, viz: We have applied loosely to one end of the discharging device b4 (see Figs. 1 and 8) an arrn` G7, having a crank-pin G8, which is embraced by a link G2, jointed to the upper end of a lever G10, pivoted at c upon the frame A' and provided at its lower end, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. l, with a roller c2, which acts against the face of the cam c3, (sec Figs. 2

reales and 24,) fast upon a shaft B8, having as its bearing c5 a portion of the frame A', said shaft being bored and receiving the stem c6 of a disk c7, substantially like the disk B2, hereinbefore described. The end of the shank c5 is acted upon by a strong spring cs, which tends to press the friction-plates shown in Fig. 24 into engagement, so that the shaft B5 and the cam c5 will be rotated from the shaft o9, having its bearing 010 in a portion of the frame A. Said shaft o9 has fixed upon it a worm-toothed gear cl2, which is engaged by the worm A10, hereinbefore described, and rotates said shafts cJ and B8 in unison, except when the clutch, which comprises the disk c7, friction-plates, and the collar ol, fixed to the shaft c, is separated, so that of may run and not rotate the shaft B8. The shaft B8 (see Fig. 24) is rotated only at such time as the nails on the discharging device are to be delivered to the chute, and at this same time the motion of the shaft B5 is arrested. The clutch parts uniting the shafts B8 and c are held disengaged by rod H5, as hereinafter explained, except when the cam c5 is to be rotated once to actuate the discharging device. Let it be supposed that the nail-discharging mechanism herein referred to is being used in connection with a heel-nailing machine such as represented in said Letters Patent No. 694,656, dated March 4, 1902. Whenever the nail-carrier shown in said patent is to be provided with nails, it will be swung by the operator Ainto nail-receiving position, and in coming into such position a device carried or moved by the carrier will raise a rod H. (See Fig. 4.) The upper end of the rod H engages an arm H and turns a rock-shaft H2, causing the second arm H3 of said rock-shaft, which latter is in engagement with an arm H4 of a rod H5, to move said rod H5 in the direction of the arrow adjacent thereto in Figs. 4 and 29, thus withdrawing the beveled end ot' said rod from the cam projection H7 on the disk c7 of the clutch above referred to. The withdrawal of said rod enables the spring c2 to cause the shaft B5 to be clutched with the shaft c, so as to be rotated by it. As the Vshaft BS is started the disk c7 is rotated in the direction of the arrow on it in Fig. 29, and the end of the rod H5 rides on the face of the disk. As the disk rotates the depressed portion 2O thereof arrives opposite the end of IOO IIO

the rod H5, whereupon the said rod is pushed into said depressed portion by the spring H5, and the cam H7 is then permitted to act against the said rod H5, which is laterally irnmovable, thus pushing the disk c7 to the left, Fig. 24, compressing the spring o8 and releasing the clutch, and leaving the shaft Bs at rest until such time as the operator shall again desire to discharge a series of nails, when the rod H5 will be moved, as stated, to repeat the operation. When the lever G10 is moved by the cam c3, the link G turns the arm G7 in the direction of the arrow on it, Figs. 1 and 9, into the position Fig. 10, thus turning the j next back of those to be delivered by the discharging device before the discharging dedischarging device b4 from the position Fig. 1l into thev position Fig. 12, and the nails leave said discharging device head first, as therein represented, and enter the grooves in the chute F. During this movement of the armjGr7 a projection 21, (see Figs. 8, 9, and 10,) connected with the arm Gr7 by a screw 22, retires from below the end of the arm E6, thus enabling the stops E8 to drop by gravity and meet the nails 7 lying at the ends of the raceway, and thereafter the projection 21'meets the projection G2 and turns the discharging device b4. There is thus pro vided for the arm GrI a sufficient amount of lost motion to enable the stops E8 to meet and secure the nails d2, fast upon a ina,f:,razine-actuator d3, shown y ss it or enables the magazine to be taken off -as a roller having a groove d4, said roller being mounted onand so as to turn -freely about a stud d. (Shownbest in Fig. 2.) The front 4end of the roller rests against a shoulder on the stud d5, and the rear end of the stud has a reduced portion d6, which receives a bearing (i7, connected therewith by a set-screw d8.

The bearing d7 has'a hole dg, which receives a pin J 2, constituting a pivot for a magazinesupporting frame, which normally, as in Figs.

1 and 7, maintains the magazine in its opera-` tive position, but which when in the position shownv in full lines in. Fig. 6 sustains the magazine so that nails may be poured into from the frame and the nails vtherein emptied for the reception of nails of a different length. A second magazine-supporting roller Z13 is mounted upon a stud di, having applied to its end a bearing d, like' the bearing Z7 de,- scribed. The bearings d? and d15 are covered, as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, by a pad d1, which may be of leather, held in place by screws d, the pad obviating jamming of the flange of the magazine in its rotation. I

The magazine D5 is circular and preferably made of sheet metal and is composed, as represented, of a curved plate e, closed at one end with a plate e. The plate e' is secured to the plate e by screws e2 and has a cover e'X, provided with a handpiece es.) The plate l e has an outwardly-turned portion e4, which sns enters the grooves d4 in the actuator d3 and supporting-roller dm. The magazine comprises also a cylindrical-portions5 and a face e, said cylindrical portion and face being united to the portion e by bolts e7, and the a bridge e9, herein represented as sustained;

upon an arch e1", spanning or crossing the upper portion D8 of the raceway. The arch un: u

610 is held in position by pins am. (See Fig. 6.) The shelves e8 of the magazine are shorter than the width of the portion e5, as shown in Fig. 5, and the space in the' rear of the shelves is provided with a plurality of feeders 68X, shown as bars arranged diagonally in said space. This construction permits of a large `quantity of nails being loaded into the magazine at a time, while the short nail-lifting shelves will engage and raise only a portion of such quantity ofV nails as the magazine rotates. When the quantity of nailsI in the magazine hasv become small, the feeders 68X serve to work said nails gradually over onto the side of the magazine which is provided with the shelves to cause the said magazinethe raceway in order tokeep all the grooves' The magazine-supporting frame as shown in Fig. 7, comprises upright bars J J and J X J X, connected by cross-bars J J The bars J J are pivotally connected to the bearings Z7 e115, while the bars JX J X are extended below suchpivotal connection and are adapted whenvthe frame 4is turned to the horizontal position (shown, in Fig. 6) to contact with the lo-wer side of the magazine and raise it sufficiently to remove the flange e4 of the magazine from the grooves d4 of the supports d3 and d. The ends of the bars J J adjacent-the pivots J 2 are provided with square shoulders on the lower side and rounded shoulders on the upper side, as vshown in Fig. 6, said square shoulders' being adapted to abut against the ends of the bearings i7 and d to thereby support said frame in the horizontal position. The frame may be locked in its upright position bya locking device J 3, shown in Figs. l and 7 as\a latch having an arm adapted to be bars J.

In operation let it lbe supposed that the magazine hasbeen supplied with nails of the proper length and the beltv has been put upon thefast pulley A4, to start the shafts As and ci. This done, the shaft B5 is rotated, thereby reciprocating the raceway endwise and rotating the magazine, causing the shelves ofthe magazine to lift nails and discharge'them upon the bridge, the nails passing` through the'spaces 23 of the bridge and fallingupon the upper portion of the raceway, some of the nails entering each one of the grooves @either head or point iirst indiscriminately.

Nails lodged in the grooves baremoved downwardlyY there-in by the reciprocating movements of the raceway, and, viewing Fig. 11, any nails comingY down the raceway-v IOO IIO

Irs

` turnedinto position in the rear of one of the grooves Z1 pointfirst cross the space between the reversing device E' and the shoulder bx and have their points supported on the reverser E', as represented in Fig. 11. As soon as the head of one of such nails passes the shoulder hX, the Weight of the head of the nail preponderating, the nail tipsI so that it falls through the slot 2 immediately under it in the reversing device and'enters the groove D9 head first, the nail then passing on into the groove h2. All nails passing along the grooves b head first drop through the space 2 without being arrested by the reverser and enter the grooves D9, (see Fig. 12,) passing therefrom into the grooves bi head first, so that all the nails coming into the grooves of the bars b3, constituting the lower portion of the raceway, have their points arranged in the same direction. Normally the discharging device b4 and the stops E8 occupy the positions shown in Fig. 11, so that the nails have free course down the grooves b2, the lowermost series of the nails in said grooves entering the grooves 10 of said discharging device, the nails being arrested by the stop 13. The nails on the discharging device are discharged only at the time that the operator may require the nails to be delivered into a nail-carrier or other device, and whenever the rod H5 is retracted by the movement of the carrier, as explained, or otherwise the shaft B8 is started, so that the discharging mechanism may be actuated to supply nails. The :first movement of said shaft BS unclutches, as described, the clutch B2, stopping temporarily the movement of the shaft B5 and arresting the reciprocating movements of the raceway and nail-returning table, and at this same time vthe stops E8 are permitted to descend upon a series of nails 7, as shown in Fig. 12, and the discharging device is thereafter actuated by this one rotation of the shaft B8 and its cam c3, and the nails 8 thereon are discharged into the chute F.

In case it is desired that the nails shall be discharged from the assorting mechanism point tlrst instead Jof head first We will detach from the frame A of the machine the chute F and substitute therefor a chute having attached thereto a reversing device, which is shown in Figs. 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. In said figures, g indicates the chute, which may be of any usual construction. Attached to the side thereof by screws g are supporting-arms g2, upon which is pivoted a reversing-plate g3, provided with nail-receiving grooves g' and stops g4 in line with the nail-receiving grooves 10 of the discharging device h4. A link 27 of the form shown in Figs. 18 and 21 is secured at one end 26 to the arm G6 of the discharging device and at its opposite end to an ear 28 of the reversing device g3. When the machine is equipped with this mechanism, the nails are delivered from the discharging device b4 onto the reversing device g3, vas shown in Figs. 17 and 19. When the discharging device b4 is redeliver the nails into the chutes point first,

as shown. The connection of the reversing device g3 to the discharging device b4 by means of the link 27 insures that said reversing device g3 shall be reciprocated with the frame C7. This is important in that it causes the nails to be promptly discharged from the reversing device g8 when it is turned into discharging position and prevents any nailsI from sticking in the grooves g.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. In a nail-asserting mechanism, means for supplying nails, mechanism for delivering nails, a raceway to receive nails from the sup plying means and guide them to the delivering mechanism, a returning-table, and means for reciprocating said raceway and table simultaneouslyin opposite directions to cause the nails to travel thereon.

2. In a nail-assortinglnechanism, means for supplying nails, mechanism for delivering nails, a raceway for receiving nails from the supplying means'and guiding them to the delivering mechanism, said raceway having provision for rejecting nails not properly lodged thereon; a second raceway for receiving and conveying the rejected nails; and means for reciprocating said raceways in opposite directions, to cause the nails to travel on said raceways.

, 3. In a nail-assorting mechanism a raceway having grooves to receive and guide nails, mechanism for depositing nails upon said raceway, and a bridge interposed between said mechanism and the racewayl to assist in distributing the nails uniformly upon the raceway, said bridge having a plurality of open spaces for the passage of the nails.

4:. In a machine. of the class described, a rotary magazine containing at one end a series of nail-lifting shelves and at the other end a series of obliquely-arranged blades to guide the nails toward the end of the magazine having the shelves.

5. In a machine of the class described, a magazine, and a frame to hold said magazine in operative position, said frame being also adapted to be tipped into position to sustain said magazine on its side so that it may be supplied with nails. i

6. In a machine of the class described, a chute comprising a bar provided with a series of nail-passages, a second bar closing the open sides of said passages," and a series of tubes sustained by said bars in line with the nail-passages.

7. In a nail-assortin g mechanism, a raceway comprising an upper section to receive nails with their heads and points arranged indiscriminately, a section arranged at a lower level to receive the nails from said upper sec- IOO IIO

tion, and a nail-reverser located adjacent to the contiguous ends of said sections, and having grooves to receive the ends of thepointrst'nails and permit them to travel until their heads are unsupported, said grooves being extended and deflectedv to receive slivers or imperfect nails and discharge them from p the lower end thereof.`

8. In a machine of the class described, a raceway to receive and guide nails, means to reciprocate the raceway tocause the nails to travel thereon, mechanism for delivering a series of nails from the raceway, means to detain positively the series of nails next to the series being delivered, and means to suspend the reciprocations of the raceway While the detainiug means is operative.

9. In a machine of thel class described, a raceWay for receiving and guiding nails, said raceway having provision for rejecting nails not 4properly lodged thereon, a returning-tareciprocating 'movement to facilitate the delivery of nails therefrom. n

In testimonyvvhereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. l

BENJAMIN F. MAYO. ALVIN D. ELLIOTT. Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, MARGARET A. DUNN. 

